FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to boron-free glass fiber compositions, in particular, to high
performance boron-free glass fiber compositions that can be used as a reinforcing
base material for advanced composites, and to the glass fiber and composite material
therefrom.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Glass fiber is an inorganic fiber material that can be used to reinforce resins to
produce composite materials with good performance. As a reinforcing base material
for advanced composite materials, high-performance glass fibers were originally used
mainly in the national defense industry, such as aeronautic, aerospace and military
industry. With the progress of science and technology and the development of economy,
high-performance glass fibers have been widely used in civil and industrial fields
such as motors, wind blades, pressure vessels, offshore oil pipes, sports apparatus
and auto industry.
[0003] Since Owens Corning (hereinafter referred to as OC) of the US developed S-2 glass
fiber, different countries have competed in developing high-performance glass fibers
with various compositions, e.g. R glass fiber developed by Saint-Gobain of France,
HiPer-tex glass fiber developed by OC of US and high-strength glass fiber 2# developed
by Nanjing Fiberglass Research & Design Institute Co. Ltd of China. The original high-performance
glass compositions were based on an MgO-Al
2O
3-SiO
2 system and a typical composition was the S-2 glass developed by OC. However, the
production of S-2 glass is excessively difficult, as its forming temperature is up
to about 1571°C and its liquidus temperature is up to 1470°C and therefore, it is
difficult to realize large-scale industrial production. Then OC gave up the production
of S-2 glass fiber and assigned the patent to AGY company which has been devoted to
the small-scale production of S glass fiber and its improved products.
[0004] Thereafter, in order to decrease the melting temperature and forming temperature
of the glass to better satisfy the needs of large-scale tank furnace production, large
foreign companies successively developed high-performance glasses based on an MgO-CaO-Al
2O
3-SiO
2 system. Typical compositions were R glass developed by Saint-Gobain of France and
HiPer-tex glass developed by OC of the US, which were a trade-off for production scale
by sacrificing some of the glass properties. However, as these designed solutions
were too conservative, especially the content of Al
2O
3 was kept more than 20%, preferably 25%, the production of glass remained highly difficult.
Although small-scale tank furnace production was achieved, the production efficiency
was low and the cost-performance ratio of the products was not high. Then OC gave
up the production of HiPer-tex glass fiber and assigned the patent of HiPer-tex glass
fiber to 3B company of Europe. Around 2007, OCV Company was established under the
combination of OC and Saint-Gobain, and the core technologies of R glass fiber were
assigned to OCV Company. The ratio of Ca/Mg in the traditional R glass is too low,
which will cause problems such as fiberizing difficulty, high risk of crystallization,
high surface tension and fining difficulty of molten glass; the forming temperature
is up to about 1410°C and the liquidus temperature up to 1330 °C. All these have caused
difficulty in attenuating glass fiber and consequently in realizing large-scale industrial
production.
[0005] In addition, PPG Industries has disclosed another type of R glass fiber. Its mechanical
performance is slightly lower than that of the traditional R glass fiber, but the
melting and forming performance are significantly superior to those of the traditional
R glass. However, this type of R glass has a high risk of devitrification because
the ratios of Si/Ca and Ca/Mg are not reasonably designed. Meanwhile, since too much
Li
2O is introduced, not only the chemical stability of the glass is affected, but also
its raw material cost gets significantly higher. Therefore it is also not suitable
for large-scale industrial production.
[0006] The High-strength 2# glass fiber mainly comprises SiO
2, Al
2O
3 and MgO, and certain amounts of Li
2O, B
2O
3, CeO
2 and Fe
2O
3 are also introduced. It also has high strength and high modulus and its forming temperature
is only about 1245°C and its liquidus temperature is 1320°C. Both temperatures are
much lower than those of S glass fiber. However, since its forming temperature is
lower than its liquidus temperature, which is unfavorable for the control of glass
fiber attenuation, the forming temperature has to be increased and specially-shaped
tips of bushing have to be used to prevent a glass crystallization phenomenon from
occurring in the fiber drawing process. This causes difficulty in temperature control
and also makes it difficult to realize large-scale industrial production.
[0007] In summary, we have found that, various kinds of high-performance glass fibers generally
face production problems such as high liquidus temperature, high risk of devitrification,
high forming temperature, high surface tension and fining difficulty of molten glass.
The liquidus temperature of the mainstream E-glass is generally less than 1200°C,
and its forming temperature is lower than 1300°C, while the above-mentioned high-performance
glass fibers generally have liquidus temperatures higher than 1300°C and forming temperatures
higher than 1350°C, which can easily cause glass crystallization phenomenon, uneven
viscosity and poor fining, thereby greatly reducing the production efficiency, product
quality and the service life of refractory materials and platinum bushings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention aims to provide a boron-free glass fiber composition that can
solve the aforesaid problems.
[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, the glass fiber composition is
provided comprising the following components expressed as percentage by weight:
SiO2 |
58-60.4% |
Al2O3 |
14-16.5% |
CaO |
14.1-16.5% |
MgO |
6-8.2% |
Li2O |
0.01-0.4% |
Na2O+K2O |
less than 1.15% |
K2O |
greater than 0.5% |
TiO2 |
less than 1.5% |
Fe2O3 |
less than 1% |
wherein, the range of the weight percentage ratio C1=CaO/MgO is greater than 2 and
less than or equal to 2.4.
[0010] Wherein, the range of the weight percentage ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is greater than 1 and less than or equal to 6.
[0011] Wherein, the preferred range of the weight percentage ratio C1=CaO/MgO is greater
than 2 and less than or equal to 2.3.
[0012] Wherein, the preferred range of the weight percentage ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 1.2-5.
[0013] According to another aspect of this invention, a glass fiber produced with said glass
fiber composition is provided.
[0014] According to yet another aspect of this invention, a composite material incorporating
said glass fiber is provided.
[0015] According to the composition of this invention, a high performance boron-free glass
fiber composition is provided by introducing appropriate amounts of K
2O and Li
2O, reasonably designing the ranges of contents of CaO, MgO, K
2O and Li
2O respectively, strictly controlling the ranges of the ratios of CaO/MgO and K
2O/Na
2O, making full use of the ternary mixed alkali effect of K
2O, Na
2O and Li
2O, and selectively introducing a small amount of ZrO
2 and HfO
2.
[0016] Specifically, the glass fiber composition according to the present invention comprises
the following components expressed as percentage by weight:
SiO2 |
58-60.4% |
Al2O3 |
14-16.5% |
CaO |
14.1-16.5% |
MgO |
6-8.2% |
Li2O |
0.01-0.4% |
Na2O+K2O |
less than 1.15% |
K2O |
greater than 0.5% |
TiO2 |
less than 1.5% |
Fe2O3 |
less than 1% |
wherein, the range of the weight percentage ratio C1=CaO/MgO is greater than 2 and
less than or equal to 2.4.
[0017] The effect and content of each component in said glass fiber composition is described
as follows:
SiO2 is a main oxide forming the glass network and has the effect of stabilizing all the
components. In the glass fiber composition of the present invention, the restricted
content range of SiO2 is 58-60.4% by weight. In order to ensure the high mechanical properties, and meanwhile
not increase the fining difficulty of glass, the content range of SiO2 in the glass fiber composition of this invention is specially kept relatively low.
Preferably, the SiO2 content range can be 58.5-60.4% by weight.
Al2O3 is another oxide forming the glass network. When combined with SiO2, it can have a substantive effect on the mechanical properties of the glass and a
significant effect on preventing glass phase separation and on water resistance. The
restricted content range of Al2O3 in the glass fiber composition of this invention is 14-16.5% by weight. The high
mechanical properties, especially modulus, cannot be obtained if Al2O3 content is too low; Al2O3 content being too high will cause the glass viscosity to be excessively high, thereby
resulting in melting and fining issues. Preferably, the Al2O3 content can be 14.5-16.5% by weight.
CaO is an important glass network modifier, it has particular effects in reducing
glass viscosity at high temperature, controlling the crystallization and the hardening
rate of molten glass, but the CaO content being too high will cause higher crystallization
tendency of glass, thereby resulting in the crystallization of anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8) and wollastonite (CaSiO3) from the glass melt. The restricted content range of CaO in the glass fiber composition
of this invention is 14.1-16.5% by weight. Preferably, the CaO content can be 14.1-16.1%
by weight.
MgO has an effect similar to that of CaO, and yet the Mg2+ has higher field strength and plays a significant role in increasing the modulus
of glass. However, the MgO content being too high will increase the tendency and rate
of the glass crystallization, thus causing the risk of diopside (CaMgSi2O6) crystallization, which is more violent compared with that caused by CaO. The restricted
content range of MgO in the glass fiber composition of this invention is 6-8.2% by
weight. Preferably, the MgO content can be 6-8% by weight.
[0018] Additionally, the crystalline phase after the crystallization of high-performance
glasses based on an MgO-CaO-Al
2O
3-SiO
2 system mainly comprises diopside (CaMgSi
2O
6), anorthite (CaAl
2Si
2O
8) and wollastonite (CaSiO
3). In order to effectively inhibit the growth of these crystals, reduce the upper
limit temperature for glass crystallization (liquidus temperature) and reduce the
crystallization tendency of glass, in the glass fiber composition of the present invention,
the weight percentage ratio C1=CaO/MgO is greater than 2 and less than or equal to
2.4. By controlling the range of molar ratio of Ca
2+/Mg
2+ to be about 1.42-1.72, the crystal growth of anorthite could balance against that
of diopside in the crystallization process of glass, which helps to reduce the two
crystals crystallization rate and the crystal grain integrity, simultaneously inhibit
the crystallization tendency of the two crystals and reduce liquidus temperature.
This is because the above-mentioned ratio can take advantage of the high field strength
of Mg
2+ while ensuring a sufficient supply of Ca
2+ ions during the crystallization of glass, and make full use of the competition between
Mg
2+ and Ca
2+ ions in grabbing the anion groups in the glass. Obviously, the ratio of CaO/MgO being
too low will cause too much content of Mg
2+, and aggravate the crystallization of diopside; the weight percent ratio of CaO/MgO
being too high will cause too much content of Ca
2+, and aggravate the crystallization of anorthite, or even cause the wollastonite crystals
to form, thus greatly affecting the competitive growth balance of crystals. Preferably,
the range of the weight percentage ratio C1=CaO/MgO can be greater than 2 and less
than or equal to 2.3. More preferably, the range of the weight percentage ratio C1=CaO/MgO
can be greater than 2 and less than or equal to 2.14. The technical effects can be
unexpectedly achieved as compared with those with traditional high-performance glasses.
Additionally, the mechanical strength of glass is better when the content of CaO is
kept relatively high due to the high bond energy of Ca-O, which also has a significant
effect on the accumulation of glass structure.
[0019] Both K
2O and Na
2O are good fluxing agents that can reduce glass viscosity. The inventors have found
that, replacing Na
2O with K
2O while keeping the total amount of alkali metal oxides unchanged can reduce the crystallization
tendency of glass, improve the fiberizing performance, and also remarkably reduce
the surface tension of molten glass and improve the fining performance; and help to
improve the mechanical strength of glass. In the glass fiber composition of this invention,
the restricted range of the total content of Na
2O and K
2O is less than 1.15% by weight, the restricted content range of K
2O is greater than 0.5% by weight, and the range of the weight percentage ratio C2
= K
2O/Na
2O can be further restricted to be greater than 1 and less than or equal to 6. Preferably,
the range of the weight percentage ratio C2 = K
2O/Na
2O can be 1.2-5.
[0020] Li
2O can not only reduce the glass viscosity dramatically to improve melting performance,
but also obviously help to improve mechanical properties, compared with Na
2O and K
2O. In addition, a small amount of Li
2O can provide considerable free oxygen, thereby promoting more aluminum ions to form
tetrahedral coordination that would help strengthen the glass network and further
reduce crystallization tendency of glass. But the added amount of Li
2O should not be too high, as the content of Li
+ being too high will have a significant effect in disrupting the glass network, affect
the stability of glass structure, and thus increase the crystallization tendency of
glass. Therefore, in the glass fiber composition of the present invention, the restricted
range of the content of Li
2O is 0.01-0.4% by weight. The inventors have found that the technical effects remain
excellent even when the content of Li
2O is kept relatively low, such as greater than or equal to 0.01% and less than 0.1
% by weight.
[0021] TiO
2 can not only reduce the glass viscosity at high temperature, but also has a certain
fluxing effect. However, since titanium ions have coloring effects, which will become
particularly significant especially when the TiO
2 content is greater than 1.5% by weight, thus affecting the appearance of fiberglass
products to a certain extent. Therefore, in the glass fiber composition of this invention,
the restricted range of the content of TiO
2 is less than 1.5% by weight.
[0022] The introduction of Fe
2O
3 facilitates the melting of glass and can also improve the crystallization properties
of glass. However, since ferric ions and ferrous ions have coloring effects, the introduced
amount should be limited. Therefore, in the glass fiber composition of the present
invention, the restricted range of the content of Fe
2O
3 is less than 1% by weight.
[0023] Additionally, a small amount of ZrO
2 and HfO
2 can be selectively introduced, which can further improve mechanical properties and
thermal stability of the glass. Considering ZrO
2 and HfO
2 would increase glass viscosity, the added amounts of them should not be too high.
Therefore, in the glass fiber composition of the present invention, the restricted
range of the total content of ZrO
2 and HfO
2 is 0.01-2% by weight.
[0024] In addition to aforementioned components, small amounts of impurities may be present
in the glass composition according to the present invention, and the total weight
percentage of the impurities is less than or equal to 1%.
[0025] In the glass fiber composition of the present invention, the beneficial effects produced
by the aforementioned selected ranges of the components will be explained through
the specific experimental data provided below.
[0026] The following are embodiments of preferred content ranges of the components comprised
in the glass fiber composition according to the present invention.
Preferred embodiment 1
[0027] The glass fiber composition according to the present invention comprises the following
components expressed as percentage by weight:
SiO2 |
58.5-60.4% |
Al2O3 |
14.5-16.5% |
CaO |
14.1-16.1% |
MgO |
6-8% |
Li2O |
0.01-0.4% |
Na2O+K2O |
less than 1.15% |
K2O |
greater than 0.5% |
TiO2 |
less than 1.5% |
Fe2O3 |
less than 1% |
wherein, the range of the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is greater than 2 and
less than or equal to 2.3; and the range of the weight percentage ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is greater than 1 and less than or equal to 6.
Preferred embodiment 2
[0028] The glass fiber composition according to the present invention comprises the following
components expressed as percentage by weight:
SiO2 |
58.5-60.4% |
Al2O3 |
14.5-16.5% |
CaO |
14.1-16.1% |
MgO |
6-8% |
Li2O |
0.01-0.4% |
Na2O+K2O |
less than 1.15% |
K2O |
greater than 0.5% |
TiO2 |
less than 1.5% |
Fe2O3 |
less than 1% |
wherein, the range of the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is greater than 2 and
less than or equal to 2.14; and the range of the weight percentage ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 1.2-5.
Preferred embodiment 3
[0029] The glass fiber composition according to the present invention comprises the following
components expressed as percentage by weight:
SiO2 |
58.5-60.4% |
Al2O3 |
14.5-16.5% |
CaO |
14.1-16.1% |
MgO |
6-8% |
Li2O |
greater than or equal to 0.01 % and less than 0.1 % |
Na2O+K2O |
less than 1.15% |
K2O |
greater than 0.5% |
TiO2 |
less than 1.5% |
Fe2O3 |
less than 1% |
wherein, the range of the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is greater than 2 and
less than or equal to 2.14; and the range of the weight percentage ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 1.2-5.
[0030] The present invention provides a boron-free glass fiber composition, glass fiber
and composite material therefrom. The composition can not only keep the forming temperature
relatively low, but also solve the problems in the production of high-performance
glass fiber, such as high liquidus temperature, high crystallization rate, high surface
tension, fining difficulty, and the difficulty in efficient and large-scale production.
The composition can significantly reduce liquidus temperature and surface tension
of molten glass, and reduce crystallization tendency of glass and the amount of bubbles
under the same conditions. Meanwhile, the glass fiber made therefrom possesses favorable
mechanical strength.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0031] In order to better clarify the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the
examples of the present invention, the technical solutions in the examples of the
present invention are clearly and completely described below combined with the drawings
in the examples. Obviously, the examples described herein are just part of the examples
of the present invention and are not all the examples. All other exemplary embodiments
obtained by one skilled in the art on the basis of the examples in the present invention
without performing creative work shall all fall into the scope of protection of the
present invention. What needs to be made clear is that, as long as there is no conflict,
the examples and the features of examples in the present application can be arbitrarily
combined with each other.
[0032] The basic concept of the present invention is that, the glass fiber composition comprises
the following components expressed as percentage by weight: SiO
2 58-60.4%, Al
2O
3 14-16.5%, CaO 14.1-16.5%, MgO 6-8.2%, Li
2O 0.01-0.5%, Na
2O+K
2O less than 1.15%, K
2O greater than 0.5%, TiO
2 less than 1.5% and Fe
2O
3 less than 1%, wherein the range of the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is greater
than 2 and less than or equal to 2.4. In addition, the range of the weight percentage
ratio C2 = K
2O/Na
2O can be further restricted to be greater than 1 and less than or equal to 6.
[0033] The specific content values of SiO
2, Al
2O
3, CaO, MgO, Na
2O, K
2O, Fe
2O
3, Li
2O, and TiO
2 in the glass fiber composition of the present invention are selected to be used in
the examples, which are compared with the properties of traditional E and R glasses
and improved R glass in terms of the following six property parameters:
- (1) Forming temperature, the temperature at which the glass melt has a viscosity of
103 poise.
- (2) Liquidus temperature, the temperature at which the crystal nucleuses begin to
form when the glass melt cools off, i.e., the upper limit temperature for glass crystallization.
- (3) ΔT value, which is the temperature differential between the forming temperature
and the liquidus temperature and indicates the temperature range at which fiber drawing
can be performed.
- (4) Crystallization peak temperature, the temperature of the strongest crystallization
peak in the DTA (Differential Thermal Analysis) test. Generally, the higher the temperature
is, the more energy that the crystal nucleuses need to grow up, and the smaller crystallization
tendency of the glass is.
- (5) Filament strength, the tensile strength that a filament of glass fiber strand
can withstand.
- (6) Amount of bubbles, to be determined approximately in a procedure set out as follows:
Use specific moulds to compress the batch materials in each example into samples of
same dimension, which will then be placed on the sample platform of a heating microscope.
Heat the glass samples according to standard procedures up to the pre-set spatial
temperature 1500° C, and then the glass sample is cooled to the ambient temperature
without heat preservation. Finally, each of the glass samples is examined under a
polarizing microscope to determine the amount of bubbles in the samples. Wherein,
the amount of bubbles is identified according to a specific amplification of the microscope.
[0034] The aforementioned six parameters and the methods of measuring them are well-known
to one skilled in the art. Therefore, the aforementioned parameters can be effectively
used to explain the properties of the glass fiber composition of the present invention.
[0035] The specific procedures for the experiments are as follows: Each component can be
acquired from the appropriate raw materials; the raw materials are mixed in the appropriate
proportions so that each component reaches the final expected weight percentage; the
mixed batch is melted and clarified; then the molten glass is drawn out through the
tips of the bushings, thereby forming the glass fiber; the glass fiber is attenuated
onto the rotary collet of a winder to form cakes or packages. Of course, conventional
methods can be used to deep process these glass fibers to meet the expected requirements.
[0036] The exemplary embodiments of the glass fiber composition according to the present
invention are given below.
Example 1
[0037]
SiO2 |
59.8% |
Al2O3 |
15.4% |
CaO |
15.5% |
MgO |
7.3% |
Li2O |
0.09% |
Na2O |
0.33% |
K2O |
0.49% |
Fe2O3 |
0.42% |
TiO2 |
0.47% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.13; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 1.49.
[0038] In Example 1, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1277°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1197°C |
ΔT |
80°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1026°C |
Filament strength |
4140MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
6 |
Example 2
[0039]
SiO2 |
60.0% |
Al2O3 |
15.2% |
CaO |
15.4% |
MgO |
7.2% |
Li2O |
0.25% |
Na2O |
0.22% |
K2O |
0.75% |
Fe2O3 |
0.43% |
TiO2 |
0.35% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.14; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 3.41.
[0040] In Example 2, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1276°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1195°C |
ΔT |
81°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1034°C |
Filament strength |
4149MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
4 |
Example 3
[0041]
SiO2 |
59.1% |
Al2O3 |
15.5% |
CaO |
15.6% |
MgO |
7.1% |
Li2O |
0.25% |
Na2O |
0.21% |
K2O |
0.85% |
Fe2O3 |
0.41% |
TiO2 |
0.38% |
ZrO2+HfO2 |
0.4% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.20; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 4.05.
[0042] In Example 3, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1276°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1196°C |
ΔT |
80°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1030°C |
Filament strength |
4143MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
6 |
Example 4
[0043]
SiO2 |
58.5% |
Al2O3 |
14% |
CaO |
16.1% |
MgO |
8% |
Li2O |
0.39% |
Na2O+K2O |
1.14% |
K2O |
0.95% |
TiO2 |
1% |
Fe2O3 |
0.87% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.01; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 5.
[0044] In Example 4, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1266°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1190°C |
ΔT |
76°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1042°C |
Filament strength |
4195MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
3 |
Example 5
[0045]
SiO2 |
59% |
Al2O3 |
14% |
CaO |
16.5% |
MgO |
8.2% |
Li2O |
0.39% |
Na2O+K2O |
1.14% |
K2O |
0.95% |
TiO2 |
0.5% |
Fe2O3 |
0.37% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.01; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 5.
[0046] In Example 5, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1268°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1192°C |
ΔT |
76°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1038°C |
Filament strength |
4123MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
5 |
Example 6
[0047]
SiO2 |
58% |
Al2O3 |
16.5% |
CaO |
16.5% |
MgO |
6.875% |
Li2O |
0.4% |
Na2O+K2O |
0.725% |
K2O |
0.5% |
TiO2 |
0.5% |
Fe2O3 |
0.5% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.4; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 2.22.
[0048] In Example 6, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1271°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1194°C |
ΔT |
77°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1035°C |
Filament strength |
4135MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
6 |
Example 7
[0049]
SiO2 |
60.4% |
Al2O3 |
16% |
CaO |
14.1% |
MgO |
7% |
Li2O |
0.21% |
Na2O+K2O |
1.105% |
K2O |
0.9% |
TiO2 |
0.285% |
Fe2O3 |
0.9% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.01; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 6.
[0050] In Example 7, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1275°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1194°C |
ΔT |
81°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1036°C |
Filament strength |
4201MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
4 |
Example 8
[0051]
SiO2 |
60.3% |
Al2O3 |
14.5% |
CaO |
16.1% |
MgO |
7% |
Li2O |
0.39% |
Na2O+K2O |
1.1% |
K2O |
0.6% |
TiO2 |
1.21% |
Fe2O3 |
0.4% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.3; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 1.2.
[0052] In Example 8, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1275°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1195°C |
ΔT |
80°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1035°C |
Filament strength |
4144MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
5 |
Example 9
[0053]
SiO2 |
59.36% |
Al2O3 |
14.9% |
CaO |
14.4% |
MgO |
6% |
Li2O |
0.3% |
Na2O+K2O |
1.14% |
K2O |
0.6% |
TiO2 |
0.4% |
Fe2O3 |
0.9% |
ZrO2+HfO2 |
2% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.4; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 1.11.
[0054] In Example 9, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1278°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1196°C |
ΔT |
82°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1031°C |
Filament strength |
4183MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
9 |
Example 10
[0055]
SiO2 |
59.36% |
Al2O3 |
16.5% |
CaO |
14.4% |
MgO |
6% |
Li2O |
0.3% |
Na2O+K2O |
1.14% |
K2O |
0.6% |
TiO2 |
1.39% |
Fe2O3 |
0.9% |
ZrO2+HfO2 |
0.01% |
wherein, the weight percentage ratio C1 = CaO/MgO is 2.4; and the weight percentage
ratio C2= K
2O/Na
2O is 1.11.
[0056] In Example 9, the measured values of the six parameters are respectively:
Forming temperature |
1276°C |
Liquidus temperature |
1196°C |
ΔT |
80°C |
Crystallization peak temperature |
1030°C |
Filament strength |
4192MPa |
Amount of bubbles |
5 |
[0057] Comparisons of the property parameters of the aforementioned examples and other examples
of the glass fiber composition of the present invention with those of the traditional
E glass, traditional R glass and improved R glass are further made below by way of
tables, wherein the component contents of the glass fiber composition are expressed
as weight percentage. What needs to be made clear is that the total amount of the
components in the examples is slightly less than 100%, and it should be understood
that the remaining amount is trace impurities or a small amount of components which
cannot be analyzed.
Table 1
|
A1 |
A2 |
A3 |
A4 |
A5 |
A6 |
A7 |
Component |
SiO2 |
59.6 |
59.0 |
58.7 |
60.4 |
60.0 |
59.8 |
59.1 |
Al2O3 |
15.5 |
14.8 |
15.6 |
15.9 |
16.5 |
15.4 |
15.5 |
CaO |
15.6 |
16.5 |
16.0 |
15.2 |
14.1 |
15.5 |
15.6 |
MgO |
7.4 |
8.0 |
7.7 |
6.4 |
7.0 |
7.3 |
7.1 |
Na2O |
0.21 |
0.29 |
0.25 |
0.21 |
0.28 |
0.33 |
0.21 |
K2O |
0.58 |
0.51 |
0.63 |
0.61 |
0.65 |
0.49 |
0.85 |
Li2O |
0.15 |
0.01 |
0.15 |
0.30 |
0.40 |
0.09 |
0.25 |
Fe2O3 |
0.41 |
0.44 |
0.41 |
0.41 |
0.41 |
0.42 |
0.41 |
TiO2 |
0.33 |
0.33 |
0.36 |
0.37 |
0.46 |
0.47 |
0.38 |
ZrO2+HfO2 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0.4 |
Ratio |
C1 |
2.11 |
2.07 |
2.08 |
2.38 |
2.02 |
2.13 |
2.20 |
C2 |
2.77 |
1.76 |
2.52 |
2.91 |
2.33 |
1.49 |
4.05 |
Parameter |
Forming temperature/°C |
1277 |
1274 |
1276 |
1277 |
1277 |
1277 |
1276 |
Liquidus temperature/°C |
1196 |
1194 |
1193 |
1201 |
1195 |
1197 |
1196 |
ΔT/°C |
81 |
80 |
83 |
76 |
82 |
80 |
80 |
Crystallization peak temperature/°C |
1029 |
1035 |
1037 |
1020 |
1033 |
1026 |
1030 |
Filament strength/MPa |
4141 |
4129 |
4136 |
4147 |
4150 |
4140 |
4143 |
Amount of bubbles /pcs |
6 |
8 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
Table 2
|
A8 |
A9 |
A10 |
A11 |
Traditional E glass |
Traditional R glass |
Improved R glass |
Component |
SiO2 |
58.0 |
60.1 |
59.7 |
60.0 |
54.16 |
60 |
60.75 |
Al2O3 |
15.1 |
15.4 |
15.7 |
15.2 |
14.32 |
25 |
15.80 |
CaO |
15.4 |
14.9 |
15.5 |
15.4 |
22.12 |
9 |
13.90 |
MgO |
7.6 |
7.2 |
7.1 |
7.2 |
0.41 |
6 |
7.90 |
B2O3 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
7.6 |
- |
- |
Na2O |
0.20 |
0.33 |
0.23 |
0.22 |
0.45 |
trace amount |
0.73 |
K2O |
0.56 |
0.65 |
0.59 |
0.75 |
0.25 |
trace amount |
Li2O |
0.30 |
0.30 |
0.19 |
0.25 |
0 |
0 |
0.48 |
Fe2O3 |
0.40 |
0.43 |
0.41 |
0.43 |
0.35 |
trace amount |
0.18 |
TiO2 |
0.34 |
0.39 |
0.38 |
0.35 |
0.34 |
trace amount |
0.12 |
ZrO2+HfO2 |
2.0 |
0.1 |
0.15 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Ratio |
C1 |
2.03 |
2.07 |
2.19 |
2.14 |
53.96 |
1.5 |
1.76 |
C2 |
2.8 |
1.82 |
2.57 |
3.41 |
0.56 |
- |
- |
Parameter |
Forming temperature/°C |
1277 |
1277 |
1278 |
1276 |
1175 |
1430 |
1278 |
Liquidus temperature/°C |
1196 |
1197 |
1200 |
1195 |
1075 |
1350 |
1210 |
ΔT/°C |
81 |
80 |
78 |
81 |
100 |
80 |
68 |
Crystallization peak temperature/°C |
1032 |
1030 |
1023 |
1034 |
/ |
1010 |
1016 |
Filament strength/MPa |
4164 |
4145 |
4123 |
4149 |
3265 |
4220 |
4089 |
Amount of bubbles /pcs |
10 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
30 |
25 |
[0058] It can be seen from the values in the above tables that, compared with the traditional
R glass and improved R glass, the glass fiber composition of the present invention
has the following advantages: (1) Much lower liquidus temperature, which helps to
reduce crystallization risk and increases the fiber drawing efficiency. (2) Higher
crystallization peak temperature, which means more energy is needed for the crystal
nucleuses to form and grow during crystallization procedure, that is to say, the glass
of the present invention has lower crystallization risk under the same conditions.
(3) Much lower amount of bubbles, which means the fining performance of the molten
glass of the present invention is better. Meanwhile, the glass fiber of the present
invention has higher filament strength compared with the improved R glass.
[0059] The glass fiber composition according to the present invention can be used for making
glass fibers having the aforementioned excellent properties.
[0060] The glass fiber composition according to the present invention can be used in combination
with one or more organic and/or inorganic materials for preparing composite materials
having excellent performances, such as glass fiber reinforced base materials.
[0061] In conclusion, the present invention provides a boron-free glass fiber composition,
glass fiber and composite material therefrom. The composition can not only keep the
forming temperature relatively low, but also solve the problems in the production
of high-performance glass fiber, such as high liquidus temperature, high crystallization
rate, high surface tension, fining difficulty, and the difficulty in efficient and
large-scale production. The composition can significantly reduce liquidus temperature
and surface tension of molten glass, and reduce crystallization tendency of glass
and the amount of bubbles under the same conditions. Meanwhile, the glass fiber made
therefrom possesses favorable mechanical strength.
[0062] Finally, what should be made clear is that, in this text, the terms "contain", "comprise"
or any other variants are intended to mean "nonexclusively include" so that any process,
method, article or equipment that contains a series of factors shall include not only
such factors, but also include other factors that are not explicitly listed, or also
include intrinsic factors of such process, method, object or equipment. Without more
limitations, factors defined by the phrase "contain a..." or its variants do not rule
out that there are other same factors in the process, method, article or equipment
which include said factors.
[0063] The above examples are provided only for the purpose of illustrating instead of limiting
the technical solutions of the present invention. Although the present invention is
described in details by way of aforementioned examples, one skilled in the art shall
understand that modifications can also be made to the technical solutions embodied
by all the aforementioned examples or equivalent replacement can be made to some of
the technical features. However, such modifications or replacements will not cause
the resulting technical solutions to substantially deviate from the spirits and ranges
of the technical solutions respectively embodied by all the examples of the present
invention.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY OF THE INVENTION
[0064] The glass fiber composition of the present invention makes a breakthrough in crystallization
properties, filament strength and heat resistance of the glass, as compared with the
present mainstream improved R glass, and greatly reduces crystallization risk, and
significantly improves the filament strength and softening point temperature under
the same conditions; in addition, the cost-performance ratio of the overall technical
solutions of said composition is higher, thereby making it more suitable for large-scale
industrial production.